Mechanical toy



(No Model.) W. A. WEBBER.

MECHANICAL TOY.

No. 257,112. Patented Apr.25,1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

WILLIAM A. WEBBER, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

MECHANICAL TOY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,112, dated April 25, 1882.

Application filed March 9, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM A. \VEBBER, of Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Toys, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to adapt a doll or other image in the representation of the human or animal or bird or other living form to the production of sounds in a manner to secure by proper manipulation the playing ofa musical tune or tunes or airs or other arran gement'of musical tones, by whatever name called, or the utterance, as it were, of sounds in a series of notes in imitation of a cry, song, lullaby, lament, signal, warble, carol, chirp, trill, twitter, or whistle, &c., all according; as may be desired.

To this end the present invention consists in substance of a doll or other image in the representation and form of a human, animal, bird, or other living being, and of the combination therewith of mechanism for the production of the series of sounds desired from reeds or other suitable sound devices, which mech anism and said sound devices are arranged and located substantially within any suitable portion ofthe image--as, for instance, it the image be a doll, so called, within the body portion thereof-and are constructed to produce the series of sounds intended when the mechanism thereof is suitably operated therefor, and for this operation said mechanism may be constructed and arranged to work either automatically or to be worked by hand, according as may be desired.

One mode of carrying out the present invention, and which constitutes one part of it, is to arrange and, combine in a convenient and compact form a bellows or other suitable wind mechanism a series of reedsin reed-chambers and all suitably arranged for the reeds to be sounded by said bellows; a perforated strip of paper or other flexible material having its perforations in parallel rows or lines, and of lengths and relative location in accordance with the series of tones which it is desired to secure; a raceway for said perforated strip; air-passages leading from and through such raceway to the reeds and their chambers and in position corresponding to the rows of per- (No model.)

forations in the paper strip, and mechanism for confining the perforated strip in close contact against said raceway and at and about the said air-passages thereof, and for feeding it along and over the same, in combination with a doll or other image in the representation of the human or animal or bird or other living being, in which said mechanism and parts above particularly described are placed and suitably incased, and preferably within the body portion thereof, in a manner to be free to operate without hindrance, and otherwise arranged for the bellows or other moving part or parts of the mechanism either to be directly or indirectly operated upon by hand at and upon theoutside of the body so incasing the same, and by being so operated to secure a sounding of the reeds in accordance with the perforations in the several lines or rows of the perforated strip, which at the same time is being fed along in proper direction and relation therefor.

A mode for carrying out this invention, substantiall y such as above particularly described,

is illustrated in the accompanying plate ofdrawings and in combination with a doll.

Figure l is a side view of a doll above the hips, and showing the body as in vertical section at that portion which makes the casing for the mechanism and parts particularly recited, all of which mechanism and' parts are shown as in elevation at one side of the doll. Fig. 2 is arear view of the doll instead of a side view, as shown in Fig. 1; but in every other respect it is the same, with of course this exception, that said mechanism and other parts are shown as in elevation at the back of the doll. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3 3 without the doll portion and with the bellows opened. Fig. 4 is a view at one side of the parts shown in Fi 3, but with the bellows closed. Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views of the soimd-producing devices to those shown in Figs. 4 and 2, respectively, and illustrate modifications thereof, to be hereinafter more particularly referred to.

In the drawings, A represents the body portion above the hips, B the head, 0 the neck, and D D the arms, of a doll, all, as to such fea tures, as-dolls are usually made.

The body A has a chamber, E, of suitablev form and size to receive the mechanism and parts and to allow the same to operate and to be operated, as-will be hereinafter fully described. This chamber E is preferably closed on all sides and at the front with .cloth ct or other material sufficiently flexible to permit of being pressed upon from time to time without injury to it or to its connection at and along all its sides with the remainder of the body A surrounding the chamber E.

F is a force-bellows, constructed and arranged for its parts to be pressed together against a spring, I), and to open from each other because of the reaction of such spring, and for air to be received within itand to be forced outof it through air-passages c in one end of its side boards, (I f, and otherwise, as force-bellows are usually constructed and arranged.

g is aboard secured against the outside of the bellows-board d, and provided with a series of parallel reed-chambers, h, each containing a reed, 7c. Each reed It is in communication with an air-passage c of the bellows, and each reed has a separate air-passage, m, leading from it to the surface a of the board g, which surface is the raceway for a strip, 0, of paper 01: of other flexible material. The raceway a, at each side, has a cheek-piece, 2), both of which act as guides to the movement of the strip of paper over said raceway, as will hereinafter appear. The paper strip 0 has a series of parallel rows or lines of perforations, r, running in the direction ofits length and ot'its line of movement over the 'aceway a, and these rows of perforations correspond in their relative distance apart to the distance apart of the air-passages m of the reed-board g at the surface or raceway n of such board. The perforated paper strip 0 is shown as endless.

sis a presser-roller turning in bearings of the cheek-pieces p, and extending across from one to the other thereof. This presser-rollers is arranged at one side of the air-passages m of the reed-board, and there to press the paper strip into close contact with the surface of the board, making the raceway a for the paper strip, and t is a roller arranged at the other side of said ElllFPtISSflg'QS m, and so as to there press upon the paper strip, all as described, for the presser-roller s, and thus bet-ween the two insure a close contact of the paper strip with the surface of the reed-board at and about the air-passages m, and, if desired, this closeness of contact can be further insured by making the raceway-surface a convex from one to the other of said two rollers, as shown in the drawings. The rollert has spur-wheels a at each end inside of the cheek-pieces p, for engaging each with a row of perforations, o, in the perforated strip 0, and thus secure the travel of such strip in the direction in which the spur-wheels are turned.

to is a ratchet-wheel at one end of spur-wheel shaft or feed-roller t.

00 is a spring-pawl, fulcrumed at y upon the the moving partf of the bellows, and, running through a clasp, a, is attached to the stationary part (Z of the bellows, all so as to pull upon the ratchet-wheel w in the opening movement of the bellows and to pass backward over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel w in the closing movement of the bellows without effect upon the ratchet-wheel. This operation of the pawl a: and ratchet-wheel insures an intermittent rotation of the feed-roller, and through it a feed of the music-sheet forward over the airpassages m, leading from the reed-chambers h of the board g, and as it is occasioned by workingthebellows,obviouslythereedsare sounded in accordance with the perforations ofthe musicsheet so passing by and over said air-passages m.

The mechanism described is placed within the chamber E of the doll, with the moving part f of the bellows toward the front side of the body, and then as a whole secured therein by attaching the ear-pieces a of the bellowsboard (I to the sides of the chamber E in any proper manner, and this attachment is made so as to leave all the parts of the mechanism free to work and without hindrance or obstruction, as has been described. After having secured the mechanism in the chamber E, as described, the front side of the doll is then fastened in place over the moving part of the bellows, which is at the front of the doll, when, as is evident, said mechanism can be worked from the outside of the doll by simply pressing the bellows together, which secures the feed of the perforated strip 0 and the sounding of the reeds in accordance with its perforations, and as a consequence the performance of the tune or air for which said perforations are arranged, thereby attaining the object of this invention as to a doll, which, as well known, is in the representation or image of a child.

The perforated music-strip, being endless, obviously never becomes disconnected from the feed and presser rollers. If the fastening of the mechanism within the doll be such as to enable it to be readily attached and detached, the music-sheet may be changed from time to time, as may be desired.

The mechanism herein described may be arranged to be operated by and from a crank handle attached to the feed-roller shaft, which for that purpose needs only to be projected through and to the outside of the body of the doll and at its outer end adapted for the attachment of the crank-handle, preferably in a manner to be readily attached and detached. Again, the mechanism described may be arranged to be driven from the action of clock mechanism and spring suitably combined with it. Again, the reed-chambers may be provided with valves arranged to be opened and closed by and through mechanism operated from the travel of the music-sheet in proper relation thereto.

Devices to be sounded by the passage of air through them, other than reeds, may be employed; and, a gain, devices to be sounded otherwise than by the passage of airas, for in- ICO stance, by an impingement against or striking of them-may be used, in which case, obviously, mechanism suitable for operating them is to be used-such as a strip of paper with parallel rows of perforations, or a cylinder with parallel rows of projecting pins running around the cylinder. Other wind mechanism than forcebellows may be used.

The mechanism shown in Figs. 5 and 6 differs from that of the-preceding figures in these respects, first, that the pawl 00 and ratchetwheel w are arranged to operate the feed-roller in the opening movement of the bellows, instead of in the closing movement thereof; second, that the presser-roller is dispensed with third, that the feed-roller is constructed with a series of parallel ribs or flanges around its periphery in lines to bear upon the perforated paperstrip between its rows of perforations and in a manner to confine the paper strip closely to the surface of the raceway and against the escape of air at the air-passages, except as desired. Again, this feed-roller is held to its work by the pressure of springs 0 properly applied therefor.

Although the present invention has been herein particularly described and illustrated with a doll, it is not intended to limit it thereto, and obviously the description given is as well adapted to images of other descriptionsrepresenting the human, animal, or bird, or other living form-and in a way to attain therewith all the objects and purposes of this invention, hereinbefore recited.

I am aware that a doll has been provided with a whistle sounded by compressing the dolls body also,that a doll has been provided with a tube containing a reed which is sounded by applying the tube to the mouth and blowing therein; but such do not constitute my invention, and are hereby disclaimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-- 1. A toy constructed in imitation of a living being and provided intcriorly with mechanically operated appliances, such substantially as described, adapted to produce musical sounds in a series of notes, as set forth.

2. A toy'constructed in imitation of a living being, in combination with appliances, such substantially as described, arranged within the toy and adapted to produce musical sounds in a series of notes and mechanical means operative from the exterior of the toy to move said musical appliances, as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A mechanical toy made in imitation of a living being, and having placed within it bellows 01' other wind mechanism, a series of reeds and reed-chambers, a raceway for a perforated music-sheet, air-passages leading from the raceway to the reeds, and mechanism for holding a perfgrated music-sheet in close contact with and feeding it along the raceway, and each and all constructed and arranged in relation to each other and to the outside of the toy to be operated substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereofI have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

WILLIAM A. WEBBER. \Vitnesses:

EDWIN W. BROWN, WILLIAM S. BELLows. 

